Thankful Thursdays

My history.

"Some people believe that without history, our lives amount to nothing. At some point we all have to choose: do we fall back on what we know, or do we step forward to something new? It's hard not to be haunted by our past. Our history is what shapes us...what guides us. Our history resurfaces time after time after time. So we have to remember sometimes the most important history is the history we're making today." ~ Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy

That quote moves me. It makes me realize that, no matter how far in the past, how significant, how moving, that the history of my life is a thing of the past. Yes, it has shaped me and molded me into the individual that I am.

My history started the day my grandfather, Dorris Harrold, bought me my first Angus heifer. I was all of one day old. He knew what life lessons I could learn by being a cattle woman. He had done the exact same thing for my mother and guided her through ten years of 4-H. More importantly, he and my grandmother, Mildred Harrold, instill in both my mother and I the life skills that made us confident, independent, strong willed individuals.




Dorris Harrold with two Angus steers - circa mid 1960s





Sharon Harrold Sommers with Roscoe in August of 1968

 As I raise my own children, I now realize how much my history has shaped who I am and who I want my children to be. But as I dwell on the events of the past weekend, I realize that my pride and joy is no longer in the history that shaped me, it is now in the history that I am making today...the history of my children.



Luke & Lucy at the 2010 Hoosier Beef Congress

 Luke is the 8th generation of my family to be a member of the American Angus Association and owner of Angus cattle. I can trace it back to my great, great, great, great grandfather, Alexander Cook. He brought Angus cattle from Scotland to Indiana. He's the fourth generation to show and exhibit cattle. However, as you can tell from the photos above, irregardless of the breed, we just love being involved with the beef cattle industry. So I encourage you...look into your history and see how it shaped you but more importantly make some history today!

P.S. Yes, I have been on a month long hiatus from blogging. What happened? Life - that's what happened. Cattle shows, head colds, family trips, and the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Stay tuned for more!